When A Star Dies
by undeniableloveunspoken
Summary: She always had his happiness in mind when he went off after Kikyou, that's why she never stopped him anymore. The ache in her bones and numbness in her heart were locked away for his benefit... but a star can only burn for so long.
1. Chapter 1

****When a Star Dies  
**** **  
A/N: This is the second story I've published on , and I'm really excited for it. It's a little deep, and there will be times that you may have to hold your tongue, but trust me, it will all be worth it in the end.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha... anywhere besides my dreams.

 ** **Chapter 1: The Trigger**** **  
** ** _  
_** _It was his lack of insight that made him feel such agony when he held her lifeless body in his arms. He looked up at the one responsible, but he was already blaming himself.  
_

* * *

Kagome sat on the floor, leaning her back against her bed. The sun set on the horizon in an ocean of purples and pinks and the streets grew empty as people flocked back to their homes with their families. Her house remained quiet however, the members of her family gone to a far away city to take care of a sick relative, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Tomorrow morning she would return to the Feudal Era, to her friends, to Inuyasha.

Three days had passed since she returned to her time, the memory and pain of why hung over her head every waking minute. Of course, she knew he would go off to see Kikyo, that wasn't the whole point. Overtime, Kagome became more accustomed to their visits, who could blame them? While their physical beings were violently ripped apart for fifty years, their emotions lied dormant and metastasized to their hearts the instant they saw each other again. Kagome had accepted this long ago, that wasn't what kept her up at night. The intensity of what their past love seemed to be growing into, however, did.

Inuyasha and the group had once again taken camp for the night from traveling all day. It was chilly, the forest floor seemed to emanate no heat or comfort, and the stars seemed to be the only company one had out in the woods tonight. Kagome had left her bag of supplies behind because of the nuisance it was to carry around, having to deal with the stinging temperature in her short and tattered school uniform. She laid on the ground looking directly into the fire, watching the flames taunt her with their calefaction. Sango and Miroku snuggled up against each other as they had most nights now, Shippo and Kilala doing the same. She ached for the comfort of warmth from the calm half-demon who sat up directly behind her. Inuyasha didn't seem to mind the chill, he'd been in much worse over the years, but he could see Kagome shiver the way that she was. He picked her stiff form up into his arms and pulled her tightly into his body, his natural heat helping her find sleep without fail. Inuyasha carefully brushed his fingers through her hair in admiration of its silky feel until she was totally out. He smiled solemnly at how peacefully she laid there in his lap, falling into a light sleep himself.

 _Hmph, that's better_.

Kagome silently laughed to herself, now the fire would envy _her_. She loved nights like these, under the night sky with the people she cared about.

A low, eerie cry startled Inuyasha awake, and it was only when he noticed one of Kikyo's soul collectors through the trees, almost beckoning for him to follow it, that he grew impatient of sitting still. His sudden rustling had woken the girl up but she kept her eyes shut and breathing even so he wouldn't suspect she was up.

 _I'll go there to see that she's alright and then I'm coming right back_ , he decided, hoping Kagome would understand."I'll be right back, Kagome, I promise," he whispered sweetly in her ear.

Without further hesitation, he set Kagome gently back down on the cold earth, placed his kimono over her, and was off.

Kagome waited for him to be far enough away that he couldn't smell her tears before she let them slide down her icy cheeks. The miko stopped sulking around her friends when she would spot the two or knew they were together. She didn't fancy the idea of acting like a child, falling prey to such unbecoming emotions.

 _Maybe that's why Inuyasha figured there was no reason not to go_.

She laid there, trying to silence her heart and body from quaking in uncertainty and pain.

 _It's so cold. It's always so cold when he leaves_. The fire crackled, as if to laugh back at her, seeing her lay there freezing once again. She turned away, their roaring flames were a single match in comparison to her hanyou. _Well, not exactly "my"..._

Kagome clutched the robe in her small, fragile hands, worried that someday this may be all she has left of him, should he choose not to come back. She seemed to feel that way more often than not, cold and small; so insignificant that he could dispose of her with no remorse whatsoever. It was because she understood the intensity of first love that she was able to mask her feelings for Inuyasha's sake.

Kagome didn't bother to go after him; she knew from experience all that would be waiting for her is disappointment.

 _It's so cold. So, so, cold_ , she repeated as she shivered uncontrollably, unable to reach her dreams. They'd be too hard to see anyway, with so many tears clouding her vision and her senses she was sure they'd backed up all the way into her subconscious. Each one seemed to hold a memory her and Inuyasha shared, falling away as if they never even mattered.

As if she never even mattered.

Inuyasha moved through the trees in the direction of the soul collector.

 _I hope she's not still cold_ , he thought as a wave of guilt surged through him and sent his mind reeling back to the girl he had just left behind. He slowed to a stop as if to turn back, but the demon gave him a sign that Kikyo was not far away. He just wanted to know she was well, he didn't want to leave Kagome. Especially when she was having trouble falling asleep and he got to hold her in his arms. It wouldn't matter how cold it was, he'd always be warm with and for her. _Let's just get this over with,_ Inuyasha's focus turning back to the path that awaited him.

The hanyou peered through the trees looking for the lone priestess. The soul collector seemed to have floated off somewhere, leaving him the task of sniffing her out himself. He came upon a clearing, where Kikyo sat in peace, directly underneath a large branch of the biggest tree in the area. She looked like a life-size china doll, so delicately pale and poise.

 _Seems she's like this every time I find her_. As he moved closer, the miko slowly awakened and gave a small smile at his presence. "Inuyasha, you've come," she spoke, seeming to light up as the words left her mouth.

 _Good, she's alright_.

"Hey, Kikyo… is everything alright?" Inuyasha asked, closing in on her, "your soul collector led me here."

"I'm fine, just a bit weary from traveling," Kikyo answered, resting her head against his shoulder.

The half-demon picked up her cold, almost weightless body to rest in his lap, just as he had with Kagome. Kikyo closed her eyes, appearing to have once again fallen asleep in his lap. Inuyasha looked down to her, and fell prey to another sudden sting of guilt. "You know, Kikyo I… I'm sorry for how everything turned out. You deserve a much better life, not one full of suffering and agony. I can't help but feel responsible for all of it." He held her tighter. "If this is how I can make it up to you besides defeating Naraku, then I'm only sorry that I can't do more."

The priestess fidgeted slightly as if to get more comfortable and once again leaned even closer into Inuyasha. He almost wished it felt right to be with her like this, but all he could think of in that moment was Kagome, lying cold on the ground by herself. Thoughts of how he held her this same way only minutes before circled in his head. He'd promised her that he'd be back soon but there was still a gnawing feeling inside that he at least owed this to Kikyo. Becoming tired from the constant debate, Inuyasha was forced into sleep.

Kagome's silent crying and aching left her so tired that sleep eventually overcame her conscious. She didn't fight it, she was grateful for a break from the persistent gloom.

 _I'm sorry, Kagome_ , was Inuyasha's last thought before his eyelids finally fell.

 _So cold…_ was hers.

By the time Inuyasha woke up, the wildlife were already bustling through the forest and the birds were singing their songs. He slowly rolled his head into position, opening his eyes cautiously as if the light would attack his golden iris'. Feeling the weight of a woman no longer in his lap, he looked down and around where he sat.

Kikyo was no where to be found.

"Kikyo?" Inuyasha stood and turned his head in every direction, searching for the priestess. When he noticed her scent was already faint, he'd come to a conclusion. _She must've woken up herself and left earlier this morning_ , he figured. He looked off into space and maybe even beyond that. _I hope she'll be fine wherever it is she's going._

He suddenly flinched as if something had just hit him.

Kagome.

He wasted no more time, running as fast as his feet would carry him back to the spot where his friends camped out, cursing himself every step. _I'm such an idiot, how could I just leave her there like that!_ Upon arriving, he could see Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kilala sitting around a new, larger fire... but no Kagome anywhere. The half-breed did however notice his haori folded and sitting in the same spot he left the miko the previous night. And while the smell of burnt ashes danced in the air, the only scent he could focus on was hers, lingering in the air from that very spot that his kimono lay. His friends looked at him confused, all accept for Miroku.

"Inuyasha? Where were you?" Sango gave him a puzzling look.

He sniffed the air again in an attempt to catch a stronger path of her aroma, completely ignoring the demon slayer's question. "Where's Kagome?!"

Miroku looked from the half-demon, to the forest, and back to his friend. He heaved a sigh, he knew exactly where she was… and why.

"Lady Kagome went home early this morning. She awoke very anxious and worried about some kind of test she'd forgotten about, back in her world," the monk poked the fire with a stick, to distract himself so that he wouldn't burst out and chastise the man who stood cluelessly in front of him.

"A test? Like for that school thing she goes to?" Shippo asked.

"Yes, I believe so," he tugged his lips into the best grin that he could, "but I'm sure she'll be returning soon enough. So, Inuyasha, tell us, where was it that you came here in such a hurry from?" pretending as if he hadn't the slightest idea.

Inuyasha looked at the monk with suspicion flooding all over his face, but ultimately dismissed the feeling and merely counted his blessing that Kagome was safe and warm in her own dimension for the time being. It did nothing for his guilty conscious but that was an entirely different problem all on its own. He joined his companions around the flames and exclaimed the usual "none of your business" line before stuffing his face with food to avoid further questioning. Of course his mind once again wandered back to the image of Kagome lying by the fire before he'd gone off. Inuyasha's eyes settled on his kimono folded so nicely a few feet from where he sat, not a speck of dirt or debris on it.

The sun fawned over the planet and every living creature flourished in the nice weather. He hoped this was what it was like where Kagome was.

 __

And here she was.

Sitting against her bed, Kagome sighed in emotional exhaustion.

"Well, my cold is almost gone, and I packed some warmer clothes for when I go back. And these frost bites are getting better everyday." Kagome tried to console herself in any way she could. "They're gonna wonder why my test took _three days_ to take." Although, she assumed that Miroku had figured her out by now.

It was that night that he carried her to the Bone Eaters well that he brought it up:

 _The sun just peeked over the Earth, looking to be in a constant struggle with the moon on when it would be okay to come out. The ground and the air still whispered cold spells upon her skin as Kagome slowly crept out of her sleep, which was particularly light considering the event from last night. She heaved herself to a sitting position, diverting her attention to the only one missing from the view in front of her. "Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Kilala... Inuyasha. He hasn't come back yet". Her body was already clearly nipped at by frost in reference to the purple and blue bruise-like spots that covered her legs. They stung badly, and it hurt to move at all. It was her soul that then started to ice over when she remembered that the hanyou was probably in the arms of Kikyo still. The only warmth offered to her in that moment were from the fresh tears falling on cue with the familiar trigger of hopelessness she felt in moments like these. She hadn't even noticed that Miroku woke shortly after her and witnessed her moment of weakness consisting of silent crying and the clenching of her fists and blatant looks off into the path Inuyasha had taken. He said nothing, just merely rose from his spot next to Sango and offered her a hand. The monk's sentimental look gave off a sense of empathy and the miko stood up from her spot and took his hand._

" _You know Kagome, it's not good to keep things stuck up inside like I suspect you are doing. I can understand your logic, but me, Sango, and even Shippo are always here if you need to let it out," Miroku broke the silence of the still forest. Kagome rested on his back, she had taken him up on his offer to escort her home to rest and give her cold injuries some attention. He understood that words would ultimately do nothing to erase the pain she felt but it crushed his heart to see such a sweet, beautiful woman in such distress. It was in his nature, plus Kagome was like family and no way was he going to completely dismiss her feelings like it seemed Inuyasha had._

" _I'm sorry Miroku, you didn't have to do this, I don't want to be a burden," Kagome uttered quietly._

" _You're no kind of a 'burden' to anyone, we all worry about how you must be handling this whole Kikyo thing, besides, you can barely walk. Deep down, I know Inuyasha's intentions are not to hurt you, but he gives into his guilt entirely too much," he reassured. She had never expected Miroku to continually be so open and helpful when discussing this specific topic but she greatly appreciated his kindness. "Thank you," she whispered before laying her head back on his shoulder. The monk glanced behind him to see her growing tired once again from lack of sleep, although he was glad to see her catch up on it, he figured she didn't get much of it last night. "We're your friends afterall, you won't have to deal with something like this alone. Though I bet Sango's a little better at this kind of stuff than I am haha," he said before turning his head back to the path in front of him._

Kagome knew that Miroku was being honest when he explained that he and the others would listen if she needed a shoulder to cry on. Still, she felt horrible dragging other people into her own problems, especially ones that she figured were considered childish and repetitive.

Or at least that's how she saw them sometimes.

The girl glanced up at her window and felt a chill run up her spine with no effort of hugging herself or warm blankets causing it to subside. The only thing that could was a particular boy that dwelled hundreds of years out of her reach, even when he stood inches away. The very one who'd left her frigid to begin with, physically and emotionally.

 _And God knows you still love him_ , she sighed.

 ** **A/N: Sorry if this lead on to any MirKag suspicion, wasn't my intention. I just feel like Miroku is very wise and considerate of Kagome's feelings so I wanted to show it, I absolutely adore their friendship. Besides, Kagome definitely needs a friend right now, don't ya think?****


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Her Front**

 _I'll be right back, Kagome..._

 _I promise…_

* * *

Kagome sat up from her floor suddenly. Her eyes began to open slowly as she adjusted to the sunlight leaking in through the curtains. "It's morning. I must have fallen asleep here last night." She looked around her room and settled on her bed, the warm and comfy blankets untouched accepted crinkled from where she sat up by it the night before. Rising to her feet, she let out a shaky yawn and stretched her arms, making her way down the stairs and into the kitchen like every other morning she was home.

"Good mor-," she cut herself off when she noticed the room was vacant. _That's right, they're not here_ , _I forgot_. Somehow the room grew even quieter with the remembering of her family's absence; they would always be bustling around in here. Gramps would try to tell Sota about one of his old stories while the boy tried his hardest not to fall asleep, and her mother would be cooking with Buyo at her ankles occasionally attempting to latch onto her apron. _That is, whenever Inuyasha wasn't pestering the poor thing_. The memory of Buyo hanging from Inuyasha's hands and taking a vicious snap at the half demon to show him he was none too pleased slipped into the front of her mind. Choosing to ignore it, Kagome gathered up everything she needed to make herself a much needed breakfast. The profuse rumbling of her stomach could be heard all the way from the living room. _Definitely gonna miss mom's cooking_.

With her family out of town, it was her responsibility to keep the house in order, and that involved all the chores. Heaving a sigh as she finished the dishes from breakfast, Kagome set out to every bedroom to collect the dirty laundry, starting with her own. Her school uniform was in desperate need of a wash with all the blood and dirt stains it'd collected from her journeys. _Leave it Inuyasha to slice a demon in half and get its blood everywhere_. She shook her head at the unpleasant recollection of both the blood and the hanyou who'd been using his "Wind Scar" to his heart's content to obliterate the boar youkai they'd come across that day. Next stop was Sota's room for his sweaty socks and then her mother's for any bras or dresses, ending with her grandfather's for his traditional priest robes. She hurried to the laundry room, not wanting to have to deal with the smell of the heaping basket of clothes any longer than she had to. The miko dumped the garments into the machine and poured only as much detergent that was necessary. _Can't put too much in_ , _especially with Inuyasha's sensitive nose_. She shook her head again to dispel the image of him holding the bottle of detergent right up to his face and practically fainting from how strong the scent was.

Dishes and laundry done, Kagome maneuvered through the cluttered shed for the broom so she could sweep the steps of the shrine. No one had been up or down the steps besides her for a while now, and yet it was easier to spot all the dirt, dust, and leaves that shrouded them than the steps themselves. Back and forth she moved, all the debris being thrown up into the air and carried off by the wind. It reminded her of when Inuyasha walked her home from school one day and gramps had been sweeping the shrine for hours like she was now, and had a huge pile to show for it; only for the wind to kick up a bit and blow some of it in Inuyasha's face, causing him to let out a monstrous sneeze and assist the breeze in ruining all the old man's hard work.

Kagome faltered in her labor. Why was he so hell bent on intruding her thoughts? Every distraction was diffused by the constant raking at the back of her mind about what he was doing, if he was still with Kikyo, if he knew why she'd _really_ come home. Her knuckles were clenched into a pale white color as his words still rang loudly in her eardrums.

 _I'll be right back, Kagome, I promise._

She could only begin to count how many "I promise"'s and "I'm sorry"'s Inuyasha had half-heartedly thrown at her whenever he ventured off for a visit with his former lover. What was meant to reconcile her trust in him and put her at ease did the complete opposite by making her anxious and aggravated. To her, they never held any meaning anymore. Behind every word was a vacancy that only concluded he would do the exact same thing, over and over again.

And she would forgive him, over and over again.

"Forget it, not important. Have to finish my chores," she uttered under breath to calm herself down.

Kagome took her time finishing up the cleaning around the house and was slow in her packing, each textbook and "ninja snack" going in the backpack one by one, slowly refusing to be a part of her attempts at stalling. The nervousness gripped tighter with every inch closer she stepped towards the well house, every ounce of her screaming to turn around, to stay in the comfort of her room, and she didn't understand why. In the past three days she'd never been able to make it this far. Everytime she would coward out and slip back into her uncertainty about returning so early and sprint back into her house like a frightened rabbit, and to now stand only a few feet drop from the confrontation she'd been dreading since the second she came home, she started to question herself even more.

 _I shouldn't be this hyped up about seeing him… I'll bet he didn't even know I was awake. How could I have known he left?_ Kagome shrugged as she clutched the handles of her backpack tighter and lifted one leg over the edge. _Just act like nothing happened… you can do that._

* * *

Inuyasha leaned over the Bone Eater's well, looking down into the bottom with a mixed expression of irritation and confusion streaked across his face. "She should've been back by now. What the hell is taking so long?" He bellowed. Miroku stood a few feet behind him, and hearing his outburst, peeked over the edge to scan the emptiness of the ancient structure. He frowned. "The test she mentioned must've taken longer than expected."

The hanyou didn't bother to look up at the monk, it was no consolation for what he thought was the _real_ reason Kagome had gone home, and apparently was reluctant to come back. He furrowed his brow in frustration as he recalled that promise he'd spoken to her before he departed their camp in search of Kikyo.

" _I'll be right back, Kagome, I promise," he whispered sweetly in her ear. Without further hesitation, he set Kagome gently back down on the cold earth, placed his kimono over her, and was off._

But she had been sleeping, right? He remembered hearing her breathing, even and gentle, her body warm and still like it always was when she slept. There was no way she could've heard him.

 _Then why do I feel so guilty?_

Because whether she heard it or not, you let her down.

This wasn't the first occasion, either. He'd nonchalantly wandered off to see Kikyo a handful of times in the last few months, and the peculiar thing was Kagome's lack of emotion _at all_ towards it. It was as if she merely didn't see it, didn't know about it, or more likely, chose to ignore it. Normally her discomposure was so obvious that there was no way she could keep anything away from him, those big brown eyes a gateway to her deepest secrets and unspoken thoughts. _On top of that, she's a terrible liar_ , he groaned.

Miroku let out an exhausted sigh, "You know Inuyasha, maybe you should just go and get her. Sitting here moping around and wishing for her to return isn't a productive use of your time."

"I'm not moping," he shot back, still not looking up.

Sparing another glance of the base of the well, Miroku couldn't help but wonder what she was doing, too. She seemed pretty upset when he dropped her off that morning but she'd assured him she wouldn't be long, and three days was, for him, enough time to raise some suspicion. _And that's why I suggested he go figure it out_ , Miroku reasoned, but was cut short by Inuyasha's low, impatient growl shattering the growing silence. It was sort of comical the way he seemed so distraught whenever she left.

"You're hopeless," the monk scoffed. Finally facing him, the grumpy hanyou stood up with an irritated scowl meant especially for the man in front of him. "I ain't hopeless! So she went home, big deal. I'm only waiting because we can't keep searching for the jewel shards without her," he retaliated.

"Get over yourself Inuyasha, you're not fooling anyone with that 'tough guy' act you seem so fond of putting on. You _know_ you need her here for more than just the shards."

"I do not! Feh, I don't even need her for _that,_ I could sniff the jewel out myself!"

"If that was the case, then why are you so miserable whenever she leaves?" 

* * *

The pools of bright light gently set Kagome down on the coarse gravel of the ancient well. She stood there for a moment, staring down at her dirtied brown shoes and maybe even beyond that in complete silence, something she did lately to reassure herself that she was really in this magical place and not in a dream. It was comforting knowing she had somewhere to escape the uncertainties of the world she lived in, and yet, the nervous fear that gnawed at her stomach had followed her here today, and everyday, for a while now.

The only interference in her momentary peace was the sound of two men's voices, carrying an obvious mocking tone with a subtle but increasing underline of hostility, who she identified right away as Miroku's and Inuyasha's. The miko trained her ear to zero in

on what they were saying, although from where she stood the conversation was muffled, and all she could pick up was "you're hopeless" and the mentioning of the jewel shards. _They're probably arguing about something stupid, doesn't surprise me,_ she laughed to herself. She stretched her arms out to reach for the vines to hoist herself up, but stopped short as she picked up on Miroku's last comment, and the dead silence that followed.

"If that was the case, then why are you so miserable whenever she leaves?"

Kagome dared not to move for the fear of giving away her location. She waited there, lifting her head up to gaze at the open blue sky and fluffy white clouds with eyes shrouded in a childish hope that Inuyasha's answer be one that would compel her up the wall and into his arms, and not back down into the even more familiar chill of the dirt at the bottom.

The question caught him off guard. Inuyasha stared at the monk, dumfounded, hesitating to construct a coherent thought in reference to his question, but was saved by the loud crashing noise that rippled from the well a few feet away. Both men's attentions were diverted in its direction, looking over the edge once again to see a backpack and all its content sprawled out on the ground and Kagome rubbing her head with her hand to ease the throbbing from hitting it against the hard wall behind her. "Kagome?!" Inuyasha shouted from above. The girl's attention went right to the bottom of the well, the same bewildered look that the monk and half demon shared spread across her features. Her hands pressed flat against the dirt. _Why am I still here? How come when I fell the well didn't take me back?_

"What happened down there? Are you alright?" Miroku yelled. Kagome finally took notice of the voices again and shot a reassuring glance back up at her companions. "I was climbing up the well and I guess I must've slipped, I'm alright," she answered, wiping the dust off of her tan skirt and blue sweater, since her uniform hadn't quite been dry when she left. Inuyasha pulled one leg onto the lip of the well ready to assist her in climbing out. "Hang on, I'll come get you," he said just before launching himself over, only to be stopped by the girl speaking up again. "I can get up myself, thank you though, Inuyasha," she insisted, gathering up the rest of her things and once again throwing her ginormous backpack onto her shoulders and reaching for a much _sturdier_ vine. Inuyasha flinched from her reaction to his offer to help; he had been worried about her the entire time she was gone and now she had just fallen and crashed her head against the stone wall of the well and was refusing his assistance. _She's got to be angry_ , he concluded with a shiver.

He nervously looked her up and down as she now stood with her back turned to him and facing Miroku to cleverly explain how her test ended up being three parts and thus she needed to be home for three days, which neither the monk nor the half breed seemed to buy. Inuyasha grew anxious with every passing second that she spent in the direction opposite of him, longing to look her dead in her big brown eyes and discover her true reasoning for staying as long as she did. The wind picked up a bit as if to encourage him to speak, and although he dreaded her answer, his impatience got the better of him.

"Kagome, can I talk to you," he blurted out, glancing at the monk, "in private?"

Miroku frowned as he came across Kagome's sudden stiffening from hanyou's question. _Maybe if they hash it out like they used to things will feel more normal again_ , he sighed, and proceeded to walk back to the village where Sango would not doubt punch every detail of the miko's return out of him.

Not totally satisfied with their alleged privacy, Inuyasha decided there would be only once place where he could be certain no one could spy on them, and not waiting for an invitation, whisked the girl off her feet clumsily and made his way up to the towering branches of Goshinboku. She didn't hesitate or argue, in fact, she didn't do much of anything but allow Inuyasha to take her up higher and higher in the tree with little concern of when he'd stop. He settled her on a sturdy offshoot and sat across from her, never breaking eye contact as he finally spoke after the few agonizing moments of silence.

"Look, Kagome, I'm… I'm sorry," he stuttered, hating himself for the way she flinched at his declaration.

Kagome had already considered every possibility of this very situation a million times in her bedroom the night before, and tried her hardest not to let her voice crack when she answered him. "Sorry? For what?"

He shot her a look as if to imply she was stupid, like she should've already known what he was thinking with no further explanation, and it didn't go unnoticed. His fists clenched and he grunted loudly but he withheld his frustration as immediately as he'd led it slip. He hated saying how he felt, and the Apology was one demon he could never quite demolish.

"For leaving you that night," he muttered under his breath.  
Kagome knew exactly what he was doing, because he'd done it a million times. As much as she wanted to indulge in his announcement and sit him straight through the limb of the tree he sat parallel to her on, she knew there'd be no point. The deepest parts of her mind sighed, but it was so bitter and loud she was almost positive Inuyasha had heard it.

"Oh, you mean not being there when I woke up? I figured you just needed some fresh air or wanted to wash yourself off," she laughed, "you don't need to apologize for that. I just really needed to take that test, you know those entrance exams I'm always talking about?"

Inuyasha remained fastened to his seat on the branch, the puzzled look on his face never faltering.

 _Maybe she really doesn't know, it looks like she's perfectly fine._

 _I know, and it hurts._

 _I still feel so bad, I'm so sorry Kagome, for every time I've left you._

 _I wish I could believe that._


End file.
